New Voice In Radio

There is more to this than meets the eye. This fills a much needed void in local talk radio for people like myself, that has arose with recent Clearchannel  layoffs. The impact of which pretty much went unnoticed until it reached WDIA. It started a couple of months ago with Andrew Clarksenior. I didn't pay attention then, but the writing was on the wall. At least he didn't show up for work one day and discover he didn't have a job. While Thaddeus Matthews is taking credit for something he had nothing to do with. He best be keeping watch of the behind the scenes workings of his former business associate George Flinn. He is the Edmund Ford for his competition. Unless of  course they're still  working together. Which would explain some things.

Me and my friend were talking and we couldn't figure it out. Unless Mark Skoda is independently wealthy or has supporters with deep pockets. How is he pulling this off? In spite of only being marginally charismatic and not having an established following. Mark Skoda is broadcasting four hours a day, five days a  week and a couple of hours on the weekend. He is even nationally syndicated. With little to no advertisers. How is this possible? This has to cost a fortune.

Mark Skoda used the Tea party to get his idea off the ground. He has since distanced himself from it's most  extreme positions. Was this politically motivated or due to fundamental differences? Based on his latest actions and rebuke of other key Tea party members. I'm not so sure he isn't just another opportunist trying to keep a job (which I have no problem with).There are only so many people you can reach openly espousing your far right views. I know he is skilled at writing a resume. I will be listening closely to see if the change is genuine.  Not just game.

http://www.markskoda.com/About_Mark.html

A Good Man

Out of all the cutbacks at WDIA, Jeff Lee's dismissal is the one I hate the most. Bobby Ojay is partially right when he claims no responsibility for the latest firing. The whole truth is when he didn't keep the night show going after Janis Fullilove left, he started something he can no longer control. Jeff Lee had made about a 160* turn from when he first got the job. He had gotten so much better recently. Bobby Ojay incubates cocky behavior among the other personalities. So once the smoke clears he is the one left standing. When Jeff first came his arrogance was sickening. Now it was just annoying at times.

Greg was only working a couple of hours a day, so he can find another hustle to take it's place. Greg leads a pretty laid back existence anyway. Give him enough to pay his rent and keep him a ride and he'll be straight. He doesn't have a big mortgage and car notes to pay like Jeff. So this lay-off is not as devastating for him. Yvette, I'm not so worried about. I think she was in need of a wake up call anyway. She is over thirty and not a Jennifer Lopez either. She needs to get married and have a baby before it's too late. If this hadn't happened. She would've set there in the studio kissing up to Bobby and having the listeners swell her head for the next ten years. Holding on hopng  for another chance like Eileen stumbled upon. Heaven knows she paid her dues. She brown nosed for years. Smelling what Bobby Ojay had for breakfast five days a week. It paid off with her getting the PD job at the other station. Something tells me Aisha Raison wasn't completely shocked. Her and Jeff are probably the only two that can draw unemployment. She left the notoriety of the airwaves for a full time job long ago. Someone said she got married.

Even though it happens all the time. I don't like saying "I told you so." I told Jeff when he first came on board at WDIA. He should be thankful for his callers and listeners and he would regret talking so smart to them. His first humbling experience was the death of Jay Michael Davis. He had to grow up real fast after that. He didn't have Jay Michael to stand behind anymore. Before he could get over that Steve Ladd, Jay's replacement had died. That was the turning point in his career at WDIA. I think he grew tired of his deceased partners being more popular than him. A visible change had taken place. He had finally won me over. I could tell he was trying real hard. But he still had a ways to go. Just last week he showed signs of his old ways. At his core he is a good man though. I hope he lands somewhere in the city.

The Victim

This is confirmation of my earlier post.  The ladies are losing their edge one inch at a time. Stacy Shuler's lawyer used it as a defense. Stacy Shuler left the courtroom crying, but she was really relieved. After years of looking over her shoulder. In six months she can get her life back. She was so caught up in the sex. She became the victim of her own desires.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/27/stacy-schuler-ex-ohio-tea_n_1060003.html

In That Order

The civil rights movement has officially become a tourist attraction. It was given a proper ceremony with all the uninspiring speeches and the whole nine yards. The dedication of the Martin Luther King statue marked the end of an era. By putting the monument in Washington D.C., we know it will at least be maintained. It wasn't built in the heart of the ghetto. Like the "Center for Social Change" in Atlanta, which is struggling to stay open. Best of all. They don't have to deal with the feuding children. The second son Dexter King wasn't even at the dedication.

The Civil Rights Museum in Memphis has recently become less unsure about it's future. They can now focus on raising the money for the annual awards they give out. Corporate sponsors and private donors have adopted the cause. To all those people with their complaints about those stepping up to the plate with money. An occasional meeting and a yearly visit only go so far. Especially when that visit is free. Dr. King asked that you be judged by the content of your character. Not that you get a pass without paying. Character goes a long way, but money is better. A winning combination is character and cash. Not necessarily in that order.

One Inch At A Time

Is there a sickness going around? Something is making educated, attractive, productive young women put their careers on the line for these underage males. With camera phones, text messaging and this bad economy we are experiencing right now.. Between blackmailing and crimestoppers paying up to a thousand dollars for information. Nothing is secret anymore. Even though it wasn't common knowledge. This sort of thing has been happening all the time. In the past all the attention has just been heaped on men sleeping with underage girls. We took for granted Ms.Crabtree might be checking out Farina, Afterall he was bigger than all the other "Little Rascals."

We aren't talking some old frumpy school mom with legs that look like  canned hams. Cinnamon Davis has a name and looks like a stripper, but was a guidance counselor at a local high school. Since the school was geared toward the trades. She was advising him on the benefits of a career in plumbing. Stacy Hopkins was popular among the boys at her school. She worked around horny, half naked boys all day long. Only three came forward. But there were probably more. April Ward got so inbolved she had a 17 yr. old living in her house for the last year. He was driving a car she had bought him and playing playstation III with her 14 yr. old son. It doesn't just happen in the city either. Devry Depriest a high school band teacher in Gallatin Tenn. didn't take heed. She took playing a horn to a whole new level.

I don't know any of these so called victims. And I use that term loosely.You can bet they all have one thing in common though. They are well endowed. Those teachers losing their jobs might be the real victims here. They were mesmerized. They just wanted to see the elephant dance. Those young men now have experience in taking advantage of a weak woman if they already didn't. One that will put her desires before her dignity. These women have lost their earned edge one inch at a time.

Anomoly

 

Sometimes I have to take a break from my friend Black Conservative. His heart is in the right place, but he is misdirected. He unlike all other middle class and poor conservatives have become a protagonist of what is commonly referred to as the Horatio Alger's myth. They are so involved in their own  struggles and/or successes. They consider themselves an anomaly.

A Reminder

Reported by Janice BroacCourt ruling leaves Edmund Ford 45 days to vacate funeral home

City Council member Edmund Ford has operated his funeral home and mortuary at a site on Elvis Presley Boulevard for three years. After a judge's ruling Tuesday, he has 45 days to leave the property.

Ford's landlord, Dennis Churchwell, left general sessions court with his attorney after a judge declared Ford in default on his rent.

Ford is $5,000 behind on his rent, according to the court. Ford filed a lawsuit last month hoping to enforce an agreement with Churchwell to sell him the property and stop the eviction process. Ford agreed to drop the lawsuit Tuesday, clearing the way for Churchwell to force him out.

Dennis Churchwell did not want to comment on the case. "I've learned to keep my mouth shut," he said. "I let my attorneys do the talking."

Edmund Ford also refused to comment on camera, but said he is trying to buy the property and everything will be okay.

Churchwell was indicted in July for lying to a grand jury that was investigating Ford about whether the councilman got a break on his rent in return for helping Churchwell get permits to store heavy equipment at his business across the street from Ford's mortuary.

Ford is also under indictment for bribery and extortion in connection with his city council seat.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1827793/posts

999 Is 666 Upside Down

I repeated a phrase by Congresswoman Michelle Bachman in Monday night's debate that I thought was funny. Not only was it funny but somewhat true also. The people I was talking to obviously didn't agree. They started trying to explain how it was a play on words as if I didn't already know that. Somehow my point got lost in the muddle. Initially I thought the fair tax was a good idea but after deeper thought it's not fair or feasible. At first I was only thinking of a way to collect on the underground economy, but that would hurt the working man even more. It would hurt way more to take 9 out of 100 than 90 out of 1000 and etc. A flat tax would would have that same effect. Now I think that's pretty simple. In Herman Cain's plan. The devil is in the details. 999 is 666 upside down.

Dartmouth Debate

Dedication

I think I have finally figured out what all the secrecy is about.  I saw a story on Fox13 last year and hadn't been able to get any follow-up information on this jewel  of a school system here in Memphis. This is proof-positive that inner-city children can do as well or better if given the same opportunities. After two years of  hearing how children in the MCS can't learn. We have some of the highest performing students in the nation, not just the county, from the city schools. So much for the notion that poor children can't learn.

Now to why I think it has been kept such a secret, The Jubilee schools fall under the bigger umbrella of  Memphis Catholic  Diocese. They do their part for charity and benevolence. What isn't made clear is they run a much larger system for profit. They don;t want to overrun the system with students who can't pay. The families pay according to their ability. Which isn't the standard tuition. The Jubilee schools are ran solely on donations. The parents don't pay with money but it isn't free. What the families lack in money they make up for in dedication.

http://www.jubileeschools.org/

Andrew Cain

Clean It Up

Why don't the local "Watchdogs" join forces?  Now that Mike Matthews has lost his job at WREG. He'll  still want to hang around town. .I know this isn't likely to happen though, but if given a chance it might sell. I know at least one of these men is too big of an egomaniac to let it happen. He doesn't realize that half of something is better than all of nothing.  It would have a bigger impact than Edmund Ford getting the Memphis fire/police  unions endorsement for mayor. Realization wouldn't have hit until the first time their paychecks bounced.

This guy Thaddeus isn't aware of the real power he possess. He could really capitalize on the entry level advertisers or those who don't have a lot of money. He can't charge what Clearchannel and Citadel do for their commercials. He only has 5000 watts. He can't compare himself to Bobby OJay and WDIA.  Cater to the audience he has now. Focus on the big accounts later. Build it they will come. This guy has been promising to get a five second delay for several years.  That's the only thing that will stop the cursing and name calling in addition to stopping himself. Not until he can get a grip on that. Will his show rise above his knees. I will have to assume he is content with reigning over the five thousand or so faithful listeners he has and cursing and disrespecting his callers everyday. If he want's to get bigger he has to "clean it up."

We Need A Whale

Herman Cain is the bargain basement Republican. He allows all the people that really ought to listen to the president a dissenting voice. As a Independent black conservative myself. I am keenly aware of what he is right and wrong about. I agree with some of his positions but his latest rant is misplaced. The fact that it caused his meteoric rise in popularity is disturbing. His most popular comments are disparaging to blacks and Hispanics. What does that say about his supporters? They blame the bulk of this country's problems on its minorities. That's just not true.

The question Herman Cain should be asking is "why isn't his support showing up in the form of campaign contributions?" He is still in last place when it comes to raising money. In spite of what he said at first. His campaign does need cash. Sooner or later this guy is going to have to buy an ice cream cone or something. If all his supporters sent him $10 it would turn things around. That's not likely to happen though. He probably won't raise $50,000 on the whole Tennessee bus tour.

I'm surprised no one has asked this question yet. When is the last time you had a Godfathers pizza? I hadn't had one lately and I really like them. With there product they should be the most popular pizza chain in the country. I watched inferior products like Pizza Hut and Dominoes beat them out. What Herman Cain did was a liquidation at best. That's yet another reason why he hasn't won the base yet. They can read through the rhetoric. Herman Cain didn't start and build anything. He made a meal out of what the sharks left behind. Contrary to what some people think. That's not what the country needs right now. We need to do something about the sharks. Herman Cain is a small fish. We need a whale

Which One Is This

Lately we have been showered with all these "rags to riches" stories.  To give a glimmer of hope to the average citizen during these rough economic times. But this doesn't equate to the average Joe with a good idea. I know a few plant managers personally. They don't earn enough to buy their companies.I noticed they failed to mention how she secured the $9M needed to purchase the plant to begin with. Something here sounds fishy.  "You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time." Which one is this?

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/oct/09/against-the-odds/

Lee Harris

Kemba Ford

God,Grades,Football

Back To Business

Yesterday Mayor A.C. Wharton received a bittersweet win. The citizens voted for him with a mandate. They like him but they want more. This Wharton administration has failed miserably in public relations. The things he has done don't resonate with the average citizen. The budget shortfall didn't help either. The police and firefighter unions endorsed Edmund Ford Sr., obviously a protest vote. Instead of trying to run for mayor. He should be thanking his lucky stars he isn't in jail. He still managed to get 28,000 votes. It's a good thing most union members live outside of the city.

Mayor Wharton was visibly angered by some of his opponents tactics. He took the high road and blamed his anger on undue criticism. I'm sure that played a part in him being upset, but that wasn't what angered him most. What he really was upset about was the disrespect of his wife and the name calling. I wouldn't have held stepping down off the high road against him. Some times you have to take the gloves off and beat these low brows down. But since he didn't. Let's get back to business.

Fred Shuttlesworth (1922-2011)

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2011-10-05/fred-shuttlesworth-dies/50667896/1

Steve Jobs (1955-2011)

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/oct/05/apple-says-company-co-founder-steve-jobs-has-died/?partner=popular

Too Much

A career WREC or WREG is only worth your last check. It doesn't matter how long you've been on the job, they'll kick you to the curb. First Andrew was let go after being on the wrong side of the school situation. I guess they didn't want the pre-Herman Cain show anymore. Now they're playing Rush Limbaugh on the weekend. Andrew was more gracious than Mike when he left. He just didn't show up for his last day. He landed on his feet over at newstalk. If you want to call it that. 

The "Watchdog" suffered the same fate. He let a few stories slip under his nose. Then pretty little  Lauren Lee uncovered the story about the police not writing tickets,, and that's all the bosses could take.  Just that quick the menacing, perspiring guy with the too little shirt was history. Mike doesn't have the luxury of being behind the camera. Though he has an appearance made for radio. He has earned his living in front of the camera. He'll land somewhere else. He knows too much

http://www.wreg.com/about/wreg-mikematthews-165521,0,3250261.story

Only Al

Fairground Flop

The Mid-South fair ended on what they called a high note. Who do they think they're kidding? It only drew 70,000 visitors in 10 days. That's an average of only 7000 people a day. There were that many at the "Stop the violence" rally in Raleigh. I don't really like the "Delta Fair" but at least it's in Shelby county. As I had earlier predicted. It was a fairground flop.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/oct/04/ending-on-high-note/?comments_id=1274918#start

Feel This Way

This is just another dagger in the Republicans back. This stubborn attitude leaves 45% of the country out. The other 45% somewhat agree. How it registers with the other 10% of undecided voters is what remains to be seen. Hank Williams Jr. has just given a face to the extremist. He has no interest in compromising to meet common ground. I'm not surprised there wasn't more people that found his comments offensive. Let's see what Herman Cain says about this. How many other people feel this way?

League Of Her Own

This is a pretty young girl lost. She needs a leader in her life and unfortunately that's unlikely to happen with present company. She has got a taste of the good life and has no idea how to maintain. She went from hanging with Chris Brown to doing Rick Ross videos. Both of them have lots of money and hit records. But it's like going from the star of the show to the opening act.The women around her can't help her out. They've never been in her position before. They're just a group of women who were lucky enough to have babies by guys with pro basketball contracts. They have never been the flavor of the month. Draya has and doesn't know how to handle it.. Imani was engaged for nine years and Gloria for four. Laura hasn't even made honorable mention. The only ones with husbands are Malaysia and Jackie. Who knows him and who cares? Jackie has put her time in already and Malaysia is making the most of hers. None of them have anything to worry about. Draya  is in a league of her own.

http://twanatells.com/2011/09/06/basketball-wives-draya-says-her-son-was-never-taken-away-from-her/

Steer Clear

If you look at the most popular guests and subjects of this weekend's news shows. I would give them all the same advice. Rick Perry should just let this racial thing play out. Herman Cain should stay away from the race card. This will blow up in his face. His Muslim comments nearly derailed him. Whatever is in the back of his mind keeping him from running, he should listen. Chris Christie should wait until 2016. What seems like an offer you can't pass up. Steer Clear.

Madewell Move

Has anyone seen this man?  He was last seen signing away the city's stake in the biggest tourist attraction in the state. This wasn't the bonehead move people think. He was one of John Elkington's earliest big investors at a time when the returns weren't so sure, Sounds like some insider trading before Martha Stewart made it famous. Do you know the man pictured here? I thought not. Meet  Wallace  Madewell, the former Memphis CAO. He held the office between the resignation of  Wyeth Chandler and election of Dick Hackett after J.O. Patterson served as interim.  Most Memphis citizens don't even know who he is. Even though he put the city on the hook with the swipe of a pen for fifty-two years. 

That's why this upcoming election is so important. You can bet there is a Wallace Madewell and John Elkington somewhere in the shadows. Planning or putting a scheme together to take this city off. This city has a billion dollar a year budget . With all these watchdogs combing the books of the city. You can best believe they're burning the midnight oil.  If by chance we end up wiith Edmund Ford Sr. for mayor. Look out for another Madewell move,.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2007/dec/09/blues-on-beale/

Pick His Vice

 

It's still early but I don't think Rick Perry is ever going to reach the former dominance he once had. All the other candidates have taken swings at him until they've collectively cut him down. He should have started with the rest if he wanted to lead the pack. Then he wouldn't have started out with a target on his back like he did. He could have built his popularity over time as opposed to being forced on Republicans as the solution to President Obama and the Democrats. In spite of what polls say. Republicans shouldn't just assume they're going to win.

Have you ever seen the movie "Life" with Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence? Is the country ready for a Seargent Dillard and Hoppin Bob show? Herman Cain has proven to be the one with the loudest bark. He just needs someone to be out front. I mean someone that the party takes serious. Not jokingly referred to as the "Pizza King."Since Rick Perry is still raising decent money in spite of his mediocre performance. Is he just the chosen one? Mitt Romney is just  proof  the Republicans don't have anyone. He hasn't generated any more excitement than he did last time. If  Rick Perry want to put fire back into his campaign. He might need to pick his  vice.